The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1887-10-05

|
: i'll the shade of the noble trees on th,
campus, and puts only his head to school
} The boy in Charleston puts his head an,
! legs to school, and his hands also bccom,
} most expert in handling a rifle; but rifle
don't assist him to get living after he
graduates. The boy in Mississippi put
head, legs, hands and eyes to school
The whole boy is taught, and he is taugh
how to farm on farm by mon who know
to "do what they tcach," not by "bool
larmcrs' and theorists. He never is al
lowed to lose the habits Of industry anC
sympathy with labor he brings with hin
from his humble home, but continue.
during two or three hours Of each dav tc
hoe, to ditch, 'to fork manure" to milk,
to make butter, to feed stock, to graft, tC
bud, tD prunc, and do n thousand things
or see them done that will be of benefit
in after life.
1t will havo been noticed that ed. 8
and all of his brethren never omit in
their category of labors the "forking OF
manure" This is too degrading in theil
eyes for any whito boy to do while at
school, and should be "taugLt ut homo. y
Now, of all things on Southern farms
this thing OF making ana handling and
sowing barn-yard manure is most ne
elected and least understood while it is
the very llio an essence Of good farming.
ihe average farmer knows nothing about
1t and cannot therefore teach his son at
| home. But the editor of the Columbia
Register, who is cd. S" ally, has diScoy.
cred that manual labor and attention to
tho details OF farm work are inconsistent
wlIh a. advanced and comprehensive
curriculum. "That the students cannot
q .y -
properly master both"
This Is news indeed, and Col Thomas
long experience as an educator gives it
great weight. Unfortunately he has bad
no experience along that line and il is
only his opinion. Let us see what those
men think who have been studying and
teaching agriculture. On the Sth Of July
past "Ihe National Association of Teach
ors Of Agriculture and Horticulture" met
ut the University Of Illinois. There were
present representatives of the land. grant
colleges of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Mich
lgan, Kansas, Iowa and Missouri They
adopted, after full discus ion, with one
dissenting vote, the following resolutions
"Resolved, That we favor regular,
compulsory labor by students on our ag.
ric'ltural college farms, but before Lh0t
1t should be required only so far as it is
designed to bc Instructive
Ihc opponents OF the separate agricul.
turaL college cannot, or Will not, under
stand that the labor is insisted on for two
reasons first, rs Il means Of pract;ca,
illustration and instruction lust us mydi-
cal students ere taught anatomy in the
dsaccung room, or law Students practice
III the moot courts before going into the
court house. But mainly because !. the
student st that formative period Of life
does nothing for four years but study
books and cultivate the mind, not three
III hundred will ever return to the farm,
"nere manual labor and physical energy
are absolutely essential to success. This
Is the whole thing in a nutshell. ',D. 4"
says: ut Is question of taste whether
1t Is better for the farmers son to pay
money in college to, learn law than to
fork manure, cut wood, &c." There is
no taste in the matter. 70 educate farm
crs experience has shown that labor is US
essential part Of the curriculum as che
mlstay or vegetable physiology, and it is
better to even 'fprk manure" than to
loaf or play poker and billiards, or smoke
cigarettes to kill time.
! will noticc only one other point that
I'D" makcs-ViH: that the Mississippi
College "nttracts by its cnCapncss rs
much as by its agriculture We will
grant this, il you please, but if the South
Carolina College only turns out less than
five "book" farmers to the hundred gra-
duates, while those OF Michigan and
Mississippi can show fifty per cent. who
farm, it is enough to prove that IL this
agricultural State" college like these
two is more needed and would be of
greater benefit than five South Carolina
| Colleges. But the bonus paid students
for their labor at these two colleges is
| called the 'mcal tub that contains the
sop, and we are twittcd with having set
up "Darrier across tho pathway OF the
South Carolina boy" because we were
opposed to free tuition in the South
Carolina College except to INDECENT
youths.
The bill drawn by me last winter to
establish an agricultural and mechanical
| college IN this State, but not introduced
for good reasons, called for tuition fees
| mot to exceed forty dollars, but allowed
free tuition to those unable to pay. 1t
| IS natural to suppose that the college
would be practically "free," except Tor u
| few students. Suppose we shall demand
! that it be absolutely "free" to all, will
| the charge OF Inconsistency and class
| legislation be thrown Mt us? OF course,
but with how little reason. There would
be no competition between the agricul-
tural and mechanical college and the de-
nominational colleges, and consequently
no injustice. The class of students poor
farmers sons--who would mainly fill up
the agricultural college would never think
Of trying to go to the South Carolina
College or to tho denominational col
lcges, and if mon who are able choose to
send their sons there let them pay for 1t
as they do at Columbia.
"D." saves his best shot for the last
and winds up rs follows: "Yet how is q
public sentiment that would not tolerate
free tuition only in the South Carolina
College going to be brought to the point
of teaching youth free ID paying him
besides? | pause for reply" You
shall have it, my friend, with vengeance.
You have forgotten something South
Carolina does some queer things at times.
| Did Won ever hear Of n school called thp